Ryan Dungey just can’t get a break. The Rockstar/Makita Suzuki rider has been the fastest rider on the track for almost his entire professional supercross career, but for one reason or another, he has yet to come away with a title.
Coming into the 2009 season, Dungey was widely believed to be the favorite despite the inclusion of 2008 East champ Trey Canard and the man who beat Dungey for the 2008 West title, Jason Lawrence. Instead, he has a completely new challenger: Jake Weimer.
Weimer got a taste for winning (and beating Dungey heads up to do it) last year at the Phoenix Supercross, and apparently he grew fond of it as time went by. He came into the 2009 season as a bit of an underdog, but he snatched a win at round one, thanks in part to a poor start by Dungey, as well as crashes by Jason Lawrence and Trey Canard. Knowing that, it would be easy to discount his round-one win.
He led round two, then fell, finishing fourth. Then Weimer finished third at round three. Dungey won both of those. However, if Weimer was supposed to continue to lose to Dungey, no one told him. In San Francisco, Weimer beat Dungey heads-up in both their heat race and the main event (after Dungey fell trying to pass Weimer).
Still, there was the fact that Dungey fell. At Anaheim III, Dungey fell again – this time off the start – and fought his way all the way back up to fourth. Unfortunately for him, though, Weimer grabbed the lead at about the halfway point and took a close win over his teammate Ryan Morais. So not only did Weimer take over the points lead, but Morais moved closer to Dungey in the championship as well.
Just as it seemed the stars were aligning for Dungey to win his first pro championship, with Lawrence out and Canard missing rounds injured, he has to deal with a new mentally strong opponent in Weimer. Is the third time the charm for Dungey?
Not if you ask Weimer.
